Costume Design for a Production of The Coast of Illyria THESIS Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Fine Arts in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Rebekah Elisabeth Priebe Graduate Program in Theatre The Ohio State University 2016 Master's Examination Committee: Associate Professor Kristine Kearney, Advisor Associate Professor Jennifer Schlueter Assistant Professor Shilarna Stokes Professor Mary Tarantino
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Costume Design for a Production of The Coast of Illyria
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Costume Design for a Production of The Coast of Illyria
THESIS
Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Fine Artsin the Graduate School of The Ohio State University
By
Rebekah Elisabeth Priebe
Graduate Program in Theatre
The Ohio State University
2016
Master's Examination Committee:
Associate Professor Kristine Kearney, Advisor
Associate Professor Jennifer Schlueter
Assistant Professor Shilarna Stokes
Professor Mary Tarantino
Copyrighted by
Rebekah Elisabeth Priebe
2016
ii
Abstract
For the completion of my Master of Fine Arts degree in Costume Design, I
designed the costumes for the theatrical production of The Coast of Illyria by Dorothy
Parker and Ross Evans, adapted by Jennifer Schlueter and Cece Bellomy. The
production was performed in April 2016 in the Thurber Theatre in the Drake
Performance and Event Center and was directed by Shilarna Stokes. The play is set in
the early 1800s and uses historical literary figures such as Charles Lamb, Mary Lamb,
and Samuel Taylor Coleridge as some of the characters. Due to the nature of the play, I
researched the time period as well as the people present as characters in order to give an
accurate representation. Because these are not contemporary figures, it is still vital to give
the audience a believable image of these well-known British Romantic writers. While
some audience members might be familiar with these writers and some might not, I
strove to provide a snapshot of each character to enhance the audience’s knowledge.
Another challenge that was presented by this play is showing the mental, physical, and
emotional decline of Charles Lamb, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and Mary Lamb. This
change occurs between Acts Two and Three, giving the actors a limited amount of time
to make a complete physical change. I worked with the director to use the costumes and
makeup to develop the look of a person in a declining state. All of the elements together
informed the design of my costumes to create a cohesive, time-period conscious design,
while staying true to the nature of the characters.
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Acknowledgments
Thank you to all the professors and mentors who helped guide me through the years.
Each one of you has shaped who I am today, and each of you has made an impact on me
as a costume designer, theatre artist, and an individual.
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Vita
2004................................................................Trinity Academy
2009................................................................B.A. English/Drama, Friends University
2013................................................................M.A. Theatre, Kansas State University
2013 to present ..............................................Graduate Teaching Associate, Department
of Theatre, The Ohio State University
Production History
2014................................................................The Rape of Lucretia – Costume Designer,
OSU School of Music
2015................................................................Trouble in Mind – Costume Designer,
OSU Department of Theatre
2015................................................................Richard II – Costume Consultant,
Figure 49. De Quincey Acts Two-Three......................................................................... 114
Figure 50. Production Photo - Charles and Fanny Act One ........................................... 116
Figure 51. Production Photo - Emma and Becky Act One ............................................. 117
Figure 52. Production Photo - Dyer, Mary, and Emma Act One.................................... 118
Figure 53. Production Photo - Charles and Mary Act One............................................. 119
Figure 54. Production Photo - Mary and Fanny Act Two .............................................. 120
Figure 55. Production Photo - Charles, Mrs. Kelly, and Fanny Act Two ...................... 121
Figure 56. Production Photo - Charles, Coleridge, and Mary Act Two ......................... 122
Figure 57. Production Photo - Charles, De Quincey, Emma, Mrs. Kelly, Fanny, Mary,
Coleridge, and Hazlitt Act Two ...................................................................................... 123
Figure 58. Production Photo - Mary and Charles Act Three .......................................... 124
Figure 59. Production Photo - Charles and Fanny Act Three......................................... 125
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Chapter 1: The Producing Situation
The Coast of Illyria, written by Dorothy Parker and Ross Evans and adapted by
Jennifer Schlueter, Associate Professor of theatre, and Cece Bellomy, an undergraduate
student in theatre, was produced by The Ohio State University’s Department of Theatre
in the spring semester of 2016. Performances ran April 14 through 17 and 19 through 21
in the Thurber Theatre, located in the Drake Performance and Event Center on The Ohio
State University main campus.
Assistant Professor Shilarna Stokes directed the production. Associate Professor
Dan Gray designed the scenery, Sarah Lawler, a second year MFA lighting design
student, designed the lighting, and Lindsay White, a senior studying Earth Science and
Chemistry, designed the sound. As costume designer for this production, it was my first
time working with both of these designers.
Set in 1813 containing characters based on historical figures, The Coast of Illyria
required realistic, historically accurate costumes. In communication with Stokes, it was
clear that because of the nature of the play the costumes should not look like costumes
but clothing that these characters would actually wear, meaning that these costumes
should reflect the styles of the Regency era in which the play takes place and not an
abstraction or adaptation of that era. While some characters might dress to impress,
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others might look grungy with ill-fitting and well-worn clothing. Despite the differences
in clothing, all of the costumes reflected the middle class status of the characters.
The academic setting of the production had certain influences on the production.
Because of the limited number of graduate students staffed in the costume studio, the
amount of constructed costumes was restricted, putting certain restraints on the realized
designs. This meant that I was extremely aware of the resources available to me and
made the most of each of them. Having graduate students to build costumes was a
benefit to the production, so I chose certain costumes to be constructed in order to best
utilize the graduate students’ skills. In sourcing the remaining costumes, many pieces
were rented, and several were purchased as well. Budgets and time constraints also
influenced the end product presented.
The Thurber Theatre has a 35-foot proscenium stage with raked continental
seating that holds 600 patrons. It is the larger of the two theatre spaces in the Drake
Performance and Event Center. This building also houses the theatre department with
offices, classrooms, and studio workspaces.
The costume studio, located within the Drake building, is a well-equipped
workroom to fit the needs of the Department of Theatre. It utilizes nine domestic Bernina
sewing machines, one industrial sewing machine, three domestic sergers, one industrial
serger, four cutting tables, three industrial irons, numerous dress forms, and ample
sewing notions and tools. In addition to this equipment, the costume studio also
possesses hundreds of historical patterns, a wide selection of fabric, and sizeable stock of
men’s and women’s costumes spanning from ancient Greece to modern dress.
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Because of the busy production schedule for the academic year, projects of
varying levels are given to the numerous people who work in the costume studio.
Alterations as well as construction of costume pieces are supervised by the Costume
Studio Manager Rebecca Turk and Associate Professor and Resident Designer Kristine
Kearney and were assigned to the three costume design graduate teaching associates
(including myself) and the nine undergraduate students who each work in the costume
studio three hours a week. These projects were assigned based on skill level and the
needs of each production. The Coast of Illyria was the last production of the season,
following A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Stupid F***ing Bird, which meant a
sufficient time allowed for the amount of built costumes. The focus for the beginning of
the semester was to allow adequate time to prepare both of the other productions first,
while beginning builds for The Coast of Illyria as time allowed.
Discussions between myself and the Costume Studio Manager began in late
November/early December 2015, and the number of builds was decided and assigned
before the end of the autumn semester. Final designs were due after the start of the
spring semester on January 25, 2016. Mockups of each build were scheduled to start
February 15, 2016, with fittings starting the following week. The production went into
dress rehearsals on April 6, 2016; however, the rehearsal schedule was an exception to
the regular schedule established by the department. The Royal Shakespeare Company,
with whom OSU have a partnership, brought a performance series to the Brooklyn
Academy of Music, and the department closed studios and classes to give the staff and
students an opportunity to travel to New York to see these performances. This trip
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occurred April 7-10, 2016, which meant a break in dress rehearsals which then resumed
on April 11. The final performance was on April 21, and the costumes were laundered
and dry cleaned and returned to stock or to the theatres and companies in from which
they were rented.
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Chapter 2: The Producing Concept and Design Scheme
In her director’s concept, Stokes wrote in great detail about her interpretation for
The Coast of Illyria, the world that the play creates and how the characters inhabit it, in
addition to background information on Dorothy Parker and Ross Evans, the original
playwrights, and the production history. While the concept itself was not heavily focused
on visual aspects, the overall themes discussed were relevant to my approach to the
costume design for the production. I found all of this information incredibly inspiring
because it gave me insight into Stokes’ direction and further information about the play’s
history, but several of the approaches Stokes intended to take were what really attracted
my attention. Stokes, in describing the characters in the play, states, “Illyrians love the
works of ancient Greek and Roman writers and, of course, Shakespeare” (2015, p. 2).
This love of ancient Greek and Roman ideals transferred to clothing as well. The
Regency time period was stylistically a hearkening back to the classic Greek and Roman
styles, which is mostly seen in the women’s clothing but is also revealed in the men’s
hairstyles. This period in fashion history was a time to be freer and cast off the restraints
of heavily ornamented and silhouette-altering clothing of decades past. This is a theme I
wanted to emphasize in the designs of the costumes, and I looked to Greek and Roman
motifs to use as well. Along these same lines, the love of the classics only transfers to
certain characters. “The room at first is dominated by Mary’s classical tastes (as arranged
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by her maid, Becky), but with visible ‘modern homemaker’ style additions made by
Fanny, who is seeking to make it her own” (p. 3). This is an aspect I especially saw
manifesting itself in the costumes of Fanny Kelly, an young actress, and Mary Lamb, a
Romantic writer. Mary is older and has a more classic, reserved style while Fanny
follows modern fashion and only wears up-to-date styles. They live in different worlds
of old and new, which is reflected in their clothing choices. A theme I especially noted in
Stokes’ concept was that of Orientalism. Stokes discusses, “I am interested in the fact
that during the Regency Era, ‘Oriental’ objects, prints, etc. (particularly Chinese,
Japanese and Indian) were a source of fascination” (p. 3). This popular fashion trend is
something that could be seen in the textiles used, and that is an idea I especially focused
on when choosing fabrics.
As evidenced in Dorothy Parker and Ross Evans’ The Coast of Illyria (1990, p.
187), this play opened April 4, 1949 and ran through April 23. It was performed at the
Theatre ’49, Gulf Oil Theatre, Fair Grounds, Dallas, TX. The original production team
included Margo Jones as Director, Jonathan Seymour as Assistant Director and Stage
Manager, Jed Mace as Production Designer, and Richard Berstein was in charge of
lighting. The original cast was made up of Romola Robb as Mary Lamb, Wilson Brooks
as Charles Lamb, Frances Walker as Fanny Kelly, Harold Webster as George Dyer,
Rebecca Hargis as Emma Isola, Edwin Whitner as Coleridge, Mary Finney as Mrs. Kelly,
Clinton Anderson as William Hazlitt, and John Hudson as Thomas De Quincey. The
production ran for a total of 32 performances and was met with good reviews. John
Rosenfield of the Dallas News praises, “The literary substance is not so much the
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characters…as the craft which the authors have incorporated…the period into the text.
Then they have added wit and wisdom of their own, worthy commodities from esteemed
sources” (as cited in Kinney, 1990, p. 61). However, despite solid reviews during its
original run, The Coast of Illyria has been little produced since.
Dorothy Parker was a prolific journalist, writer, and poet. “Born Dorothy
Rothschild on August 22, 1893, in West End, New Jersey…Parker was a legendary
literary figure, known for her biting wit” (Biography.com, n.d., para. 1). She wrote in a
wide variety of publications throughout her lifetime. These publications include Vogue,
Vanity Fair, and The New Yorker (para. 1). Parker not only wrote for magazines, but she
also ventured into fiction as well. She created short stories and became a playwright and
screenwriter while living in Hollywood with her second husband (para. 1, 3). In addition
to writing, Parker’s life also somewhat mirrored that of the Lambs. “She formed a group
called the Algonquin Round Table...also known as the Vicious Circle for the number of
cutting remarks made by its members and their habit of engaging in sharp-tongued
banter” (para. 2). Much like the Lamb’s weekly gatherings, Parker held her own
gathering to discuss the artist scene in New York.
Parker wrote numerous plays, and The Coast of Illyria might be seen as her best
work. In his introduction to The Coast of Illyria, Arthur F. Kinney, Thomas W. Copeland
Professor of Literary History at University of Massachusetts and Amherst and Drama and
Performance scholar, states, “The Coast of Illyria, long buried, forgotten, and
unpublished until now, represents some of Dorothy Parker’s finest and most mature
work” (1990, p. 1). Perhaps this is because Parker drew on her own life as material for
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this play. “…this too can be harrowingly autobiographical: The Coast of Illyria not only
displays Dorothy Parker as the artist she aspired to be but also brings us closest to the
woman herself” (p. 1). While Parker and Evans are listed as co-authors, Parker’s voice
might be more evident. Having met Evans several years prior, Parker suggested that the
two collaborate on a play about Charles and Mary Lamb, although Parker was the more
successful writer because Evans had only written a couple unsuccessful novels and a
handful of off-Broadway plays (p. 29). It is clear, however, that Parker completed most
of the writing. “The Coast of Illyria reads like most other works that Parker wrote
herself. At rehearsals in Dallas, cast and crew members recall that Evans said very little,
although he helped Parker with revisions” (p. 29). Perhaps it was Parker who did the
writing, while Evans completed the necessary research. Kinney continues to suppose:
If fetching books was Evans’s primary function, he nevertheless contributed a
great deal, for much of The Coast of Illyria is taken, sometimes verbatim, from
the letters and essays of Charles and Mary Lamb, the letters of Coleridge, selected
essays of Hazlitt and De Quincey, and De Quincey’s Confessions of an English
Opium Eater. (p. 29-30)
However, Evans might not have been the only one to have researched the Lambs and
their friends’ intertwined lives. “But the language of The Coast of Illyria shows
everywhere that Parker also immersed herself in Lamb’s own writings so as to get the
period right” (Kinney, 1990, p. 31). Even if much of the text is taken from direct
sources, Parker and Evans were also adept when it came to filling in other material. “One
of the most remarkable accomplishments of the play, in fact, is the ability of Parker and
9
Evans to sustain echoes of Charles and Mary even when they are not quoting or
paraphrasing them” (p. 31). Parker and Evans made these historical figures come to life
on the page and then the stage, and they did take certain liberties in making this happen.
“They collapsed time to intensify Mary’s tragedy, coalescing the portrait of the Lamb
circle around 1810 with Charles’s proposal to Fanny Kelly (1819) and his retirement
from East India House (1813)” (p. 40). This, in effect, makes for a more dramatic plot,
with these important events occurring around the same time.
In comparing the original to the adaptation by Jennifer Schlueter and Cece
Bellomy, several differences are apparent. Before even reading either script, one can see
from the lists of characters that the adaptation has fewer characters. While Parker and
Evans included characters entitled Mr. Wilberforce and Mr. and Mrs. Crittenden,
Schlueter and Bellomy chose to exclude these characters; this also meant cutting any
dialogue in reference to them. In my view, the story does not suffer in any way from this
lack of characters; in fact, we are able to focus more on the characters who drive the story
forward. In the original, Charles and Coleridge discuss the cause of Mary’s absence early
on in Act One. Schlueter and Bellomy reserve any in-depth discussions for Act Three,
which foreshadows Mary’s ultimate descent into madness. I think this adds more tension
that is lacking in Parker and Evans’ original script because the audience is left wondering
until the conclusion of the play why Mary is concerned about being sent to Bedlam. The
adaptation allows for more build-up to the moment Mary snaps and Charles realizes he
can never have a life separate from Mary. In the original there are enough indications of
Mary’s insanity that it is really no surprise that she sinks back into madness by the end.
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Another major difference is found in the poem Coleridge writes in Act One. The poem
Parker and Evans include is “The Ballad of the Dark Ladié,” whereas Schlueter and
Bellomy used the text of “Kubla Kahn.” Parker and Evans use “Kubla Kahn” later in Act
Two, but Schlueter and Bellomy combine the two poetic readings into one using just
“Kubla Kahn,” which I find more effective. Overall, the story remains the same, but
Schlueter and Bellomy trimmed down the dialogue to make the play much more
streamlined and less talky, allowing the focus to be on the characters’ story.
Since the script is made up of characters who existed in real life during the
Regency era, I did a certain amount of pictorial and textual research about these factual
characters represented in a fictional world. Parker provides insight into the lives of many
of these writers and artists; however, to include a better character analysis on my part, I
continued to examine these intertwined lives further. Each of these characters had an
fascinating life story, most being intertwined within each other’s; however, much of my
research was focused on the relationship of Charles and Mary Lamb and their
relationship with Samuel Taylor Coleridge. While this paper reflects research found on
websites dedicated to the lives of these poets, I also found insightful information in
several books written about Charles Lamb and the people in his life.
Charles Lamb (1775-1834) was the youngest of three children born to John Lamb
and Elizabeth Field (Wu, n.d., para. 2). His parents imparted the importance of education
for their children and gave their sons the opportunity for further learning. “The family
was ambitious for its two sons, John and Charles, and successful in entering Charles at
Christ's Hospital, a London charity school of merit, on 9 October 1782” (Courtney, n.d.,
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para. 2). Not only did Charles grow in knowledge while in school, but he also formed
long-lasting relationships. It was at Christ’s Hospital that he met Samuel Taylor
Coleridge, a fellow student, and the two remained friends for the rest of their lives (para.
2). Even with his parents’ aspirations for his education, Charles did not remain in school
for long. Because university training was generally followed by a career in the Church of
England, Charles left school early due to a stammer and in 1791 found work at the East
India Company, where he continued to work for 33 years (para. 2). His life was shaped
by events that happened when he was still a young man. “On Thursday 22 September
1796 he came home from work to find that his sister Mary had stabbed their mother to
death and wounded their father by embedding a fork in his head” (Wu, n.d., para. 4).
Charles was partially traumatized by this tragic event and was thus, at the age of 21,
bound to his sister for the remainder of his life. “He took her straight to the Islington
Asylum, Fisher House, and saved her from permanent incarceration by agreeing in the
future to look after her at home, which he did for the rest of his life” (para. 4). His life
was forever changed by this tragedy, and yet, he still found success.
Charles began a career in writing early in his life and was successful from the
beginning. While focusing on poetry at a young age, he later moved to other forms of
writing. “While Lamb was an occasional journalist, a playwright (of small success), a
writer for children, and a poet, it is his prose which has endured. He early realized that
poetry was not his vocation; his best poetry was written in youth” (Courtney, n.d., para.
1). Charles found love several times, but it was later in life that he first met Fanny Kelly.
“In 1818 Lamb published his early Works, and in 1819 he proposed to Fanny Kelly... She
12
refused him, confiding to a friend that she could not carry Mary's problems too” (para.
17). Because Charles was Mary’s sole caretaker, he remained single the rest of his life,
devoting his life to his sister. After falling while taking a walk, Charles died of erysipelas
in 1834 (para. 19). While Mary was the elder sibling and struggled with more health
issues, Charles died much earlier than his sister.
Mary Lamb (1764–1847) was Charles’ older sister and also a writer. The second
of three surviving children, Mary was not sent to school like her brothers; however, she
did teach herself Latin, French, and Italian and read a great deal (Aaron, n.d., para. 1).
While she did not attend a formal school, Mary was still greatly educated through her
own means. Because Mary was 10 years older than Charles, she mothered him, and the
two formed a close relationship (Courtney, n.d., para. 4). Charles and Mary remained
close throughout their lifetimes. While living together, the two took on the role of their
parents’ caretakers after both parents became unemployed (Aaron, n.d., para. 1). This put
a strain emotionally and physically on both Charles and Mary, but especially on Mary
being the eldest of the two. Working as a seamstress, “Mary was not only burdened with
the financial responsibilities of the family but also with the care of a father rapidly
sinking into senility and a mother, physically ailing, who required her daily and nightly
attendance” (para. 2). It is no wonder that Mary was also emotionally burdened. “Under
these conditions Mary's control suddenly snapped. She had previously suffered at least
one attack of a mental illness which has been categorized by her twentieth-century
biographers as a manic-depressive or bi-polar disorder” (para. 2). She lost control and let
her disorder get the best of her. Mary, “during an episode in 1796, killed her mother with
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a kitchen knife” (“Mary Lamb,” n.d., para.1). She did, however, have hope of a reduced
punishment. “In 1796, persons found guilty of committing an act of manslaughter while
mentally impaired were not required to suffer permanent incarceration provided that
sufficient surety could be given that they would be taken care of as potentially unstable
for the rest of their lives” (Aaron, n.d., para. 7). Because of their close relationship,
Charles quickly came to the defense of his sister. “This pledge Charles gave for his
sister, and the two lived together for the next thirty-eight years, their lives intermittently
interrupted by recurring bouts of Mary's madness” (para. 7). After this tragic incident,
Mary strove to maintain a balance in her life. “Kindness and understanding were
qualities which according to all contemporary records Mary herself showed throughout
her life” (para. 10). Mary’s graciousness is what drew people to her and far outweighed
her episodes of madness, yet her illness was always present in her life. “Enduring within
herself a double life, one passive and repressively self-restrained, the other, in its
madness, self-expressive and active, Mary strove to distance her sane self as far as
possible from the act which had destroyed her mother” (para. 15). This was an event
Mary tried her best to forget because of its traumatic effects, but it was not something
that she was ever able to escape. Her relationship with her brother, however, had a
positive lasting effect on her life. “Despite her illness, the siblings developed a
collaborative writing relationship and produced many well-known collections of poetry
and prose for children, including Tales from Shakespeare (1807), Mrs. Leicester’s School
(1809), and Poetry for Children (1809)” (“Mary Lamb,” n.d., para. 2). The two
continued to live and work together, although life was not always easy. Charles and
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Mary moved frequently because of Mary’s notorious reputation, but Charles continued to
care for her until his death in 1834 (para. 3). In fact, Mary outlived her brother by
thirteen years. She died in 1847, after being cared for by numerous family members and
several stays in asylums (para. 3). Mary lived a long life filled with success; however, it
was not always the happiest.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge is perhaps one of the most well-known characters of the
play. Born in 1772, Coleridge was the youngest of ten children born to Ann Bowdon
Coleridge and John Coleridge (“Samuel Taylor Coleridge,” n.d., para. 3). Coleridge’s
education proved important in the connections and relationships he made. “After his
father died in 1781, Coleridge attended Christ’s Hospital School in London, where he
met lifelong friend Charles Lamb” (“Poet: Samuel Taylor Coleridge,” n.d. para. 1).
Coleridge’s career path was slightly different than that of Lamb. He had intentions of a
becoming a clergyman in the Church of England and enrolled in Jesus College at the
University of Cambridge, only to change his path due to the people he met, including
Robert Southey (para. 2-3). His time at Cambridge was formative and influenced many
decisions moving forward. He and Southey made plans to move to America and set up a
commune in Pennsylvania, but when Southey married and abandoned their plans to
pursue a career in law, Coleridge never returned to Cambridge to finish his degree (para.
3-4). In the same year, several important events happened in his life. “Coleridge wed in
1795, in spite of the fact that he still loved Mary Evans, who was engaged to another
man. Coleridge’s marriage was unhappy and he spent much of it apart from his wife”
(para. 4). However, it was at this point when Coleridge began his flourishing writing
15
career. “In 1795 Coleridge befriended William Wordsworth, who greatly influenced
Coleridge’s verse. Coleridge, whose early work was celebratory and conventional, began
writing in a more natural style” (para. 5). This was one of the most important and
influential relationships in his life and affected his future career. “Over the next two
decades Coleridge lectured on literature and philosophy, wrote about religious and
political theory, spent two years on the island of Malta…in an effort to overcome…his
opium addiction, and lived off of financial donations and grants” (para. 6). Remaining
addicted to opium, he continued to write until his death. Coleridge died in 1834, the
same year as Charles (para. 6). His writing has remained admired long after his death.
After researching the play and its characters, the following step was to begin the
costume design for this production. The design scheme for The Coast of Illyria is true to
the Regency time period in which the play takes place. The clothing is realistic,
reflecting the styles and silhouettes worn in England 1813. This meant tailcoats, cravats,
vests, and trousers for the men and for the women dresses with higher cut waistlines that
fall directly under the bust (or empire waistlines) with fuller skirts. The people in the
Regency era were looking back at the clothing of the ancient Greeks and Romans, and
this is especially reflected in the women’s clothing and the men’s hairstyles. My
emphasis was on the style lines important to indicating the time period and using motifs
that were popular at the time. My initial point of departure was with the painting The
Assuaging of the Waters painted by John Martin in 1840.
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Figure 1. The Assuaging the Waters by John Martin
This painting, created just a few decades after the time of this play, inspired me
immediately. Being set in a coastal area with breaking waves upon a rocky cleft, I felt as
though the painting had strong ties to the themes of the play. Not only is a seascape
mentioned in the title of the play, but other elements fit in with certain ideas present in
the play as well. The painting has an overall romantic, natural look to its style as well as
color palette. The Romantic era, which was an artistic, literary, and intellectual
movement that spanned from about 1800 to 1850, focused on embracing naturalism and
classicism. I was inspired by the colors Martin used in this painting and translated them
to color choices used in the costumes. The sun breaking through in the distance is
reminiscent of the hope that Mary holds onto throughout the play, no matter how small
17
that hope may become. Martin also includes an attention-grabbing dichotomy between
the white bird and black bird. Many of the other colors used in the painting are muted
and soft, whereas the birds are placed in sharp contrast to their background. Lightness
and darkness are present throughout the play in a number of areas. Both Charles and
Coleridge cast a heavy cloud over those around them, especially Mary, due in part to
their dependence on alcohol and drugs. Mary also struggles with her own inner demons,
bringing a dichotomy of lightness and darkness within her own mind; she is the calm
before the storm until she becomes the storm itself.
Charles is a part of the Romantic movement, yet he also works as a clerk, which
his clothing choices reflect. He, as a character and a historical figure, dresses
conservatively, a choice that is reflected in the colors and styles I have chosen for him, as
well as to a certain extent, a portrait of him as seen in Figure 2.
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Figure 2. A portrait of Charles Lamb from The Charles Lamb Society
This portrait reflects a conservative manner of dress in the cut of the tailcoat as well as
the muted colors worn. The colors I chose to use in his palette, mostly greens and
browns, complement his sister’s color palette of sea tones nicely, showing an important
tie between them. His style is comparable to the other men in the play, using similar cuts
in his tailcoat and fall front trousers – trousers that included a panel that buttoned up the
front to the waist since this era was before the invention of the zipper. Charles, however,
is one of the best put-together men present on stage until his mental decline in Act Three,
although nothing about his costume is overly ostentatious or flashy. He mostly keeps his
emotions in check, or at least subdued, and I wanted his clothing to be a reflection of his
need for control and order. I chose subtle plaids and organic patterns within his color
palette that coincide with these characteristics. This sense of order, however, is lost when
19
he believes he is losing everything, and his clothes become the least of his worries. To
streamline the number of costumes, I choose to keep just one tailcoat for Charles that he
is able to wear with two vests and two pairs of pants. This gives him versatility within
his costumes without the need for a complete costume change within every act.
Mary’s costumes reflect her personality and character progression. I chose to
reserve the palest colors for Mary, all of which express elements of the sea. Mary feels
directly tied to the twins in Twelfth Night, who are shipwrecked, so I found it important to
give her costumes a sense of lightness and airiness with colors that reflect the sea.
However, she grounds herself with wearing the same sea green shawl throughout the
play; it acts as a type of security blanket. As the play progresses, the colors Mary wears
become paler to almost nonexistent. While she first enters in a warm, light-toned salmon
colored dress, she finishes the play in a white dress, reminiscent of a hospital gown. As
Mary’s lucidity slowly leaves her, it is as if the color is drained from her. While the
colors of Mary’s costumes change, the cut of her clothing changes as well. Mary is one
of the older women of the play, so her clothing reflects that. She is not fashion forward
but wears simple and classic styles; she is not interested in heavily ornamented dresses
but in tastefully placed trim. To show a variety of looks for Mary, she wears a different
dress for each act in order to better depict her mental decline.
Fanny Kelly is a young actress who is concerned about appearances, which means
her costumes greatly differ from those of Mary. While Mary wears more classically
conservative styles, Fanny wears more up-to-date, fashion-forward styles. She wears
lower cut, more colorful styles reflecting her youth and vivaciousness. I was inspired by
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the colors of the sky in the research painting for Fanny’s color palette, mostly purples and
pinks with hints of green, yellow, and white, giving a feminine appeal to her clothing.
Many of her fabrics I chose to dress her in are soft floral prints. A portrait of Fanny
Kelly herself also inspired me.
Figure 3. A portrait of Fanny Kelly
While many silhouettes and styles of Regency dresses were similar with high waists and
long skirts, I chose to add a little more variety in Fanny’s dresses than Mary’s. I varied
the necklines, skirts and sleeves to demonstrate Fanny’s adherence to fashion and also
included much more trim and decoration. Being an actress, she is deeply concerned
about her appearance, and she needs to best represent herself to the new people she is
constantly meeting throughout the play. Everything about Fanny’s clothing suggests
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femininity and youth. I also chose to give Fanny three separate dresses because both she
and Mary are the female characters who spend the most time on stage.
Mrs. Kelly, Fanny’s mother who is an extreme stage mother, has a style similar to
her daughter’s but a little more mature and ostentatious. She is highly concerned about
presentation, and her clothing is no exception. I chose richer colors for her costume,
focusing on gold, deep red, and dark green to emphasize her desires for a high social
status and the need to present herself in the best of advantage. This is further accentuated
by the large amounts of trim adorning her dress from neck to feet.
George Dyer is a middle-aged writer and translator who spontaneously began
living with the Lambs a few months prior. He is striving to be as fashion-forward as
possible but falling incredibly short. I chose to highlight this specifically in his clothing
by giving him an older style than the other men because it adds to the comic nature of his
character. He wears knee breeches, which were going out of style at the time, and white
tights. This is paired with an older style coat and a bicorn hat. All of these clothing
items were popular in the early years of the Regency period but were not fashionable in
1813 when this play is set. I looked to a portrait of Beau Brummel, a fashion icon of the
early Regency period, as the main inspiration for Dyer’s costume because it would reflect
Dyer’s idea of being fashionable but not quite meeting the mark.
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Figure 4. Portrait of George Beau Brummel by Robert Dighton
The colors I chose for these items imitate his personality. He is warm and caring,
although a bit forgetful, and so his clothing is rendered in warm earth tones, such as
browns and reds with touches of greens. In order to limit the number of costume pieces
for three acts, Dyer wears the same coat, shirt, and breeches for each act while trading out
vests and cravats.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge is a drug addict who has abandoned all family ties.
While his career might have once been on a steady rise, he is now at his lowest point, and
his clothing is the least of his worries. He is overall a mess and extremely unkempt.
Although he might be wearing all the correct clothing pieces that would have been
appropriate for a regency man, those pieces are not quite in order and perhaps not worn
exactly how they should be. His clothing should look well-worn and lived in; perhaps
these are clothes that might have been at one time nice and expensive but now are old and
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tattered. Due to his declining mental state as well social status, I costumed Coleridge in
much darker clothing, selecting the deeper tones of greens, blues, and browns. None of
his clothing items are heavily patterned, and the texture of these fabrics is much rougher
and worn. His costume changes are fewer to accentuate his meager financial means.
Becky is a maid and housekeeper who has been with the Lambs for years and,
therefore, wears a uniform of sorts. Her dress is simple with very little decoration
because it serves a utilitarian purpose; her style is all about functionality rather than
fashion. Most of my research of maids in this time period depicted women wearing
dresses in various iterations of lighter blue tones, and I chose to remain in this color
palette for Becky’s costume.
Figure 5. Progress of the Toilet by James Gillray
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The shade of blue present in Martin’s painting (Figure 1) of the sea complements Mary’s
color palette, which forms a necessary connection between Becky and Mary. I paired this
color with a striped fabric to further reinforce Becky’s utilitarian nature. Becky’s
costume does not change at all throughout the course of the play because a costume
change is not necessary and more appropriately fits the nature of the character.
Emma is a young teenage girl who has recently come to live with the Lambs after
being orphaned, and because she is a teenage girl, she dresses much younger than the
other women in the play. She wears simple clothing because she is not well-to-do, but
she does wear a certain amount of decoration in her self-trimmed dresses with ruffles and
tucks. The cut of her dress is much shorter to signify youth, which is paired with a pair
of ruffled bloomers and lace-up flat shoes. She is very energetic and eager, and her
clothing lends itself to those characteristics. Most of the fabrics used in Emma’s
costumes are small-scale floral in creams, pinks, and rusts. Rather than wearing a
different dress for each act, she wears the same dress for two acts, which is accessorized
in different ways to add variety.
William Hazlitt is quite concerned with his appearance and therefore is one of the
best-dressed people on the stage, certainly the best-dressed male. He is a poet and painter
and somewhat of a philanderer. Because he is focused on his looks, I chose to dress him
in streamlined, fashion-forward clothing. He wears riding boots, which were popular at
the time, setting him apart from the other men who wear a flat dress shoe. I chose his
color palette to include mostly grays, tans, and blacks, suggesting a sophisticated nature.
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I was inspired by a portrait of William Hazlitt, who wears a dark coat with a simply tied
cravat and looks quite dark and brooding.
Figure 6. Self portrait of William Hazlitt
He wears one tail coat and one pair of pants for Acts Two and Three with two vests and
two cravats.
Thomas De Quincey, a 19 year-old writer and admirer of Charles Lamb, is the
youngest male and therefore must look the part. His style is a little more relaxed than the
other men, as evidenced by an open collar shirt and no cravat. This style was taken
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directly from a portrait of a young man that inspired me for the design of De Quincey’s
costume.
Figure 7. A Young Peasant Boy by Jean-Baptiste Greuze
The colors worn by this young man, blue and rust, are the colors I used in this costume as
well. He is living on the streets, so he should look slightly destitute, but not at the same
low level as Coleridge. Because of this quality, De Quincey wears the same costume
throughout both acts in which he appears.
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Chapter 3: Character Analysis
The Coast of Illyria takes place in the early nineteenth century in England as
stated in the stage directions; Stokes chose 1813 to be the exact year. It is set in London
in October in the home of Charles and Mary Lamb. Many of the characters, including the
Lambs, are historical figures in British history, mostly poets and writers. When the play
begins, Mary is about to return home after spending about three months in a psychiatric
hospital.
At the time this play occurs, Charles Lamb is in his thirties; Stokes chose to place
him at the age of 38, the age he was in 1813. He is a writer and seems to be fairly well
off because he is able to afford artwork by William Hogarth, which is specifically
referred to throughout the play. It is later revealed that Charles works as a clerk for the
East India House in order to pay his debts and for Mary’s care. The East India House is
the headquarters for the East India Company, which dealt with trading in India and
southeast Asia.
Charles is warm and friendly and deeply cares for his sister Mary, so much so that
he strives to make everything in the house as well as his love interest, Fanny Kelly,
perfect upon Mary’s arrival. However, it is clear that he is hiding something. He does
not seem to be completely honest and open about his life since Mary’s absence for fear
that it might upset her. He has been known to drink, and yet, he seems to at least try to
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hide this fact from Fanny as well. When any kind of hardship arises, Charles uses his
drinking to cope and falls hard back into that habit as soon as Mary returns. However, it
is almost as if he is able to snap out of this habit as soon he wants because once he
receives the news of his forthcoming pension, his whole mood and demeanor changes; he
is a brand new man who no longer needs to drink his sorrows away. This change is only
skin deep though; he knows he is eternally bound to Mary. They are each co-dependent
on the other, and Charles knows he can never truly be happy as long as Mary is alive.
“What a couple we are. She is her constant danger, driving me to this; I with my stinking
drunkenness sending her quicker to her hells” (p. 88). This idea is further reinforced
throughout the play. Because they both are afflicted by mental disorders, they, in turn,
deeply affect the other’s happiness. “Our love for each other has condemned us both to
an eternity of dual loneliness. I watch her suffer. I wish she were dead” (p. 89). Much
of the relationship between Charles and Mary is expressed through Charles’ interactions
with other characters. Through his relationship with Fanny, it is clear that he wants to
start a new life for himself, away from his drinking and away from Mary’s influence on
him. Conversely, it is revealed through the course of the play that he knows this is not a
viable option for him. “I have spent so long seeing hope when there could be none. Hope
that Mary might be cured. Hope that my writing would one day earn enough to purchase
our safety. Hope of having the life of a man, not a brother” (p. 88). In the end, Charles
knows that this hope is just that; a life away from Mary, a life that he could live on his
own with Fanny, is not a reality.
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Mary Lamb is slightly older than Charles. With Charles being 38 years old,
Stokes chose to place Mary at 43 years old, tightening up the age distance between them.
She is also a writer and is currently working on a compilation of Shakespeare adaptations
with her brother. It is unclear how long this project has been in the works, especially
since she has just returned from a stay at a psychiatric facility. She is in the same social
class as her brother, but it does not seem as though she is able to support herself by any
type of financial means and relies solely on the support of Charles.
Mary is calm and tries to maintain order throughout most of the play. She is
concerned about others over herself and does not want to be a burden to anyone. As soon
as she arrives back home, she is ready to begin work with Charles on their Shakespeare
collection. While on the surface it might seem as though she is genuinely eager and
excited to be able to write again, there could perhaps be a deeper need for Mary to keep
busy. While she is working, she remains mostly calm and collected, although she seems
a little bit obsessed over her work. She is friendly and welcoming to all who enter her
home, especially Fanny and her mother. She needs to make a good impression on both of
these women since they both surely know the news and/or rumors about Mary’s stay at a
psychiatric facility. Many of Mary’s old friends come to visit as well, so she must assure
them all that she is healthy as well as physically and mentally strong, as to not cause any
concern. For most of the play, Mary does seem healthy or at least is good at putting on
an act to appear healthy. However, her dependence on her brother and their work might
be the only thing keeping her sane. She completely breaks down after Charles receives
the news that he will receive a pension from the East India House; perhaps she realizes
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that they will no longer be dependent on each other. Charles can now financially provide
for himself and a future family, and perhaps Mary believes that he will no longer need
her love to support him. With this money, maybe she believes that he will no longer need
to write, or at least not with her, which would be another reason she might not feel
needed. Despite these conjectures, it is clear that something inside of Mary snaps and the
healthy, happy façade she once had is gone. Just as she fixates on her work, she finds
other events to obsess over, such as an imagined trip to Cambridge she took with Charles
and the murder of her mother. She has an obsessive nature, and that nature latches on to
Charles as well. However, she is aware of her dependence on Charles and even
acknowledges it as the play closes. She cannot be left alone without her brother, and she
knows that the only way for Charles to live a happy life is if she dies first.
Fanny Kelly is an aspiring young actress in her early twenties; Stokes chose the
age of 23, placing her exactly 20 years younger than Mary. The script describes her as
elegant and poised. Due to her graceful nature, she is a peacekeeper; she wants things to
be just so in order to make the best impression. Fanny needs to please everyone, but she
is eventually torn between her family and her love for Charles. Although it is revealed
later that she was not brought up with the best of means, she has high expectations for
herself and the man she plans to marry. Upon the introduction of her mother, it is clear
that these standards were instilled into her by a mother who is very conscious of social
standing. It seems as though even though she is willing to marry Charles despite the
rumors of his drunken behavior, there is still a part of her that greatly looks down on him
for that aspect of his life. Fanny strikes me as little flighty. She is eager to please
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Charles and his sister, but as soon as the situation takes a turn for the worse, she leaves
him to please her mother. Once things begin to look better for Charles, she immediately
is willing to start a life with him again.
Mrs. Kelly is in her late forties and a definite social climber. The script describes
her as a stage mother to the extreme, which is made evident by her actions in the limited
time she is on stage. She is very overprotective of her daughter, but it is clear that she
would also do anything for Fanny. Fanny discusses in the script that her father was a
drunk who left them and her mother had to raise her on her own. While it might seem a
little ridiculous that Mrs. Kelly will not allow her daughter to be involved with the man
that she loves, it is more understandable why she has the standards to which she holds
herself and Fanny. Since Mrs. Kelly herself was married to an alcoholic who wasted all
their money, it would make sense that she would not want the same fate for her daughter.
Because of her own societal climbing, Mrs. Kelly is aware of status and looks down on
those who she believes are beneath her, especially writers. Despite her obvious
disapproval of lower social statuses, she herself is not of the upper classes. She has had
to work for what she has now without a husband to support her. In the Regency time
period, it would have been difficult for a woman to support herself and a child, but it is
clear that Mrs. Kelly has been successful.
George Dyer is described as a small, unkempt, kind man in his sixties. However,
in casting this role, some of these descriptors have changed. Stokes chose an actor who is
stocky and tall, and she placed him at 45 years old. His unkemptness also manifested
itself in its his mannerism rather than his clothing. Overall, this does not make much
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difference in how the character itself is portrayed. Physically, Dyer is an ever-present
character; however, he is not always present in the conversation. He speaks when
necessary, although that might just be when he is actually aware of the conversation
happening. He seems a little absent-minded but is quite good-hearted. When the other
characters describe him, it is learned that he is also a writer and he came to the Lambs’
house for breakfast in May and never left; this speaks to his character a good deal. He
must be agreeable enough for the Lambs to tolerate his presence in their home, but his
prolonged stay also shows that he must be able to make himself comfortable wherever he
is. Dyer describes himself as a “slave of fashion,” yet, being middle-aged, I considered
that a contradiction to what the character actually wears. He might think that he is
following the latest fashion trends, but he falls a little short, which makes that line more
comedic. Consistent with that, Dyer seems to be the comic relief of the play.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge, or Coleridge as he is referred to in the play, is 38 years
old and a renowned poet. The script describes him as “not handsome, but arresting,”
“haggard,” and “jittery.” Despite his work being famous, his reputation is notorious.
Coleridge is addicted to laudanum, an opium-based painkiller popular in this era.
Because of his addiction, his clothing is unkempt and unattended. He is constantly
disheveled and has no respect for his appearance. He has abandoned his wife and child
and seems to have no regrets to cutting all ties to his family. Coleridge’s closest friends
are Charles and Mary, and he is thrilled for Mary’s return. While he loves Mary, he is
ultimately selfish and mostly focuses on how Mary can help him. Every little problem is
a dramatic crisis for him. Along with these characteristics, Coleridge is exuberant and is
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easily excited about the smallest of triumphs. He lives life to the fullest, even if that is
with the assistance of laudanum.
Becky is “a bristling maid, too long in the service of the Lambs.” However she is
much more than a housekeeper, but Becky appoints herself as the overall peacekeeper in
the Lamb household. She is 35 years old and single with no family. It seems as though
she feels fulfilled in her household duties because it gives her purpose. Becky
continually keeps everything running smoothly and needs all aspects of the house to be
precise at all times. She will not allow for laziness or ineptness. She imposes herself as
the moral compass of the family and those who associate themselves with the Lambs.
Becky makes it abundantly clear that she does not approve of Charles’ choice of Fanny
because perhaps Fanny is only interested in Charles for his fame or infamy. Becky is
protective of her family and does not approve of the company they choose to keep. Even
though her intentions might be misplaced, it is clear that her primary concern is for the
Lamb family.
Emma Isola is a 14-year-old girl who has been taken as a ward by Mary Lamb.
She was orphaned, and Mary took pity on her and brought her into her home. Emma is
“endearing in every way.” She is sweet and innocent and perhaps a little absent-minded.
Becky is constantly reminding her to help with the housework. Emma does not speak
much in the play, but when she does it is to express her excitement about meeting famous
writers and to ask for their signatures in her book. She brings youth and life to even the
darker situations.
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William Hazlitt is 38 years old and “has been spared a great many of the
hardships of life.” He has also abandoned his wife because he pursues his passions, no
matter how carnal. He is a writer and a painter, who was quite prolific at both. Hazlitt is
completely focused on his appearance, and therefore, dresses much better than the other
men and appears conceited. He is quite disconcerted when he is splashed with mud.
Hazlitt is passionate and transfers that passion to all of his interactions.
Thomas De Quincey is 19 and a lover of the writings of Charles Lamb. He seems
to have followed in his mentor’s steps because he is described as “emaciated, drug
addled, and luminous.” He comes from a well-to-do family and has chosen to live a life
on the streets. Mrs. Kelly calls him a beggar when he first enters in Act Two, so he
clearly does not look well put together.
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Chapter 4: The Process
Once my preliminary designs were presented on November 30, 2015, my next
step was to further refine and define those designs. Overall, the designs did not change
much in the almost two months between preliminary and final designs. I mostly refined
each character and further defined each one’s color palette.
Over winter break, I further developed each sketch and began painting. My goal
was to have much of my painting done over the break, but I became very hesitant in
putting paint to paper because I felt as though many of my designs were still very
uncertain. I had an idea of the pieces the costume studio would build, but other than that
I did not know exactly what each of the other costume pieces would look like because I
planned to rent many of the other items to fill in the gaps. At the time, I was in the
process of requesting information from several rental houses and theatres, so I was unsure
of what pieces I would be renting from where. I wanted my paper designs to reflect the
actual designs seen on stage as closely as they could but I did not know yet what all of
the pieces would look like yet, which gave me reservations in my painting process
because painting felt so final. However, I gained my confidence once the semester
started through discussions with the director and the costume studio manager and through
further research and sourcing. Therefore, I made great progress moving toward the final
designs, confident that the aspects of the design began falling into place.
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We had a design refinement meeting on January 11, 2016, and I provided research
for outerwear along with the preliminary designs. I did find out at this meeting that role
of Emma was being recast, but the actress who was chosen was similar enough in size
that this did not cause any changes in the course of finishing designs. Following this
meeting, Stokes and I met privately to thoroughly discuss specific characters. Several
major changes ensued. We met for about an hour and worked through the whole script,
making sure we were both in agreement as to what everyone should wear when and how
they should look wearing it. Since most of the characters come in from outside
throughout the play, I had originally researched and designed outerwear and hats for all
of those characters, as stated previously. This included Fanny and Mrs. Kelly, however,
Stokes envisioned the staging occurring in a manner that the audience would never see
the women in their outerwear and bonnets because they would remove them in a
receiving room, not the drawing room in which the place takes place. While the styles of
women’s coats and hats were very intricate and interesting and could have added more
layers to these female characters, not having to source or build these items saved me and
the costume studio time and money. We also discussed options for Mary’s Act One
costume because she mentions needing to change out of the heavy gown she is wearing.
Having already designed three costumes for Mary, I did not think it was necessary to add
another in Act One. During my research, I discovered an image of an over gown or
overdress that was popular for women during the Regency time period. I suggested that
perhaps Mary could enter wearing an overdress over the dress I had already designed for
Act One that would be of a heavier fabric and could be easily removed. Stokes and I
37
both agreed that this would be a perfect solution Mary’s line in the script without giving
her a complete costume change within the same act. Another discussion we had was
concerning Fanny’s costumes. Stokes mentioned that in Act One Fanny is off to
rehearsal and therefore would not necessarily be wearing her best clothes. I had
originally for Fanny a short-sleeved dress with rows of trim at the bottom for Act One
and a much simpler and slightly more casual dress with longer sleeves and a fichu, which
is a half-circular or triangular neck scarf, for Act Two. Stokes and I decided it would be
best to switch these two dresses, making the more casual dress her rehearsal dress and the
more heavily trimmed dress the dress she wears when her mother meets the Lambs. We
discussed further what the physical state of some of the characters should be like at
different points in the play, which helped me further define specifically how Coleridge
and Charles would appear at the different states of their separate declines. These few
changes and further refinements, however, were the only substantial ones that occurred
between the presentations of preliminary and final designs.
While working towards final designs, I began sourcing items to give me a better
idea of specifically what items were coming from where. Before the end of the autumn
semester, I met with Rebecca Turk, Costume Studio Manager, to discuss builds for the
production. Because the department has very few costume pieces from the Regency time
period, we were able to have a slightly larger build list in order to add to our stock, and
the production schedule for the semester allowed for time to spend on those builds. At
that point, the list included: Mary’s Act Three dress, Fanny’s Act One dress (now Act
Two dress) with a matching spencer, a women’s cropped jacket, to be worn throughout
38
the show, three pairs of fall front trousers, three men’s shirts, two vests for Charles, a
tailcoat for Charles, and various accessories. I discovered through initial sourcing that the
production might be better benefitted with a slightly different build list. The dresses I
originally thought I wanted built by the studio I had now discovered that I could find
rental options that would work just as well. Kristine Kearney, my advisor, found fall
front trousers through an online vendor, Gentleman’s Emporium, which specializes in
historical men’s and women’s clothing. My discussion with Stokes also influenced a
decision in regard to the build list because it made more sense to me to build Mary’s Act
One dress and an overdress to coordinate with it rather than trying to piece together rental
options for a complete costume. In a follow-up discussion with Turk, we finalized a
build list that now included Mary’s Act One dress and overdress, Fanny’s Act Three
dress, three men’s shirts, two vests for Charles, a tailcoat for Charles, and a turban for
Mrs. Kelly.
As I briefly mentioned, purchasing and renting costumes became the main source
for the costumes for this production due to the smaller amount of stock items that the
department owns for this time period. Before my preliminary designs were due, I began
searching through our costume stock, with the help of Turk, to pull anything that could
possibly work within the world of my designs. In order to have a better idea of what
additional pieces I still needed to find sources for, we scheduled fittings for actors for
which I had pulled options during the second week of the semester, which was before
final designs were due. This process was extremely helpful in moving forward with
rental searching and purchasing. In the stock of costumes, the Department of Theatre has
39
three pairs of fall front trousers in stock, and I was able to use two out of the three for
Coleridge and De Quincey, both for whom I was able to pull shirts for as well. I was also
able to find a couple coat options for Coleridge and Hazlitt and vest options for
Coleridge, Dyer, and Hazlitt. I was slightly less successful with the women but was able
to find options for Fanny’s Act Two dress and Mrs. Kelly’s dress. Both of these dresses
were the inspirations my renderings, with the addition of trim.
With these options in mind, I was able to move forward in pursuing rental options
and then further filling in with purchased items. Having been involved in several
productions in the past that used quite a few rental packages, I was already familiar with
a few rental companies, but Turk provided me with further options. The company I had
the most interest in was Oregon Shakespeare Festival because of their extensive stock, all
of which is online for perusal. I began my search within their stock early on in my design
process and found quite a few feasible options but did run into some roadblocks with not
finding costumes in the styles and sizes I needed and quite a few of their Regency pieces
being unavailable until November 2016. Turk recommended the Guthrie Theatre’s
costume rental company to check with as well, so I did some research into their stock and
contacted them for further information early in January. After finishing preliminary
fittings with the items I pulled from stock, I sent information to Costume Rentals at the
Guthrie Theatre that included actors’ measurements, specific pieces I was looking for,
and research and sketches. Their staff then pulled pieces from their stock based on this
information and compiled a list of items, most of which included pictures for me to
peruse. I was given five business days to contact them with a decision of which pieces I
40
would like to rent. Costume Rentals was able to provide mostly menswear, although they
did have a limited number of options for women as well. I was able to choose several
options for Coleridge, De Quincey, Dyer, and Hazlitt but did not choose anything for the
women because the options were not viable with my designs. These items were shipped
and arrived on February 19, 2016, and we scheduled fittings for seven of the ten cast
members for the following week.
Additional options for rentals were regional theatres within the state of Ohio as
well as Otterbein University, with whom we have a borrowing policy. Kearney
suggested contacting both Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park and Cleveland Playhouse
because she has worked with both companies and knows their costume stock. Having
previously designed for Cleveland Playhouse a production of Emma, which also takes
place in the regency time period, Kearney was familiar with several items that would be
feasible options for my design and would be available to rent. I contacted both theatres
but did not receive any correspondence following; this is partially because both theatres’
websites had very little contact information. Kearney then emailed both costume shop
managers directly and made contact with both of them. We pursued a rental at Cleveland
Playhouse, and I set up a date and time with Jeffrey Van Curtis, the costume shop
manager, to visit their costume shop and look through their stock. The Cleveland
Playhouse costume shop allowed designers to visit stock on Mondays and Fridays, and
Friday worked best with everyone’s schedule. Kearney hoped to include Sarah Fickling,
third year MFA in costume design, and Sierra Johnson, first year MFA in costume
design, in the excursion as well, so we chose Friday, February 19, 2016, which was after
41
A Midsummer Night’s Dream had finished its run at the Lincoln Theatre and things had
slowed down a bit in the costume studio.
In the past, I have had the experience of looking through costume stock of
different theatres and choosing items based on my designs, but this was probably the
most pleasant and organized experience to date. We arrived late morning at the
Cleveland Playhouse costume shop, and Curtis immediately gave us a tour of the
facilities and pointed in the direction of the sections of stock that would be most
applicable. The costume stock at Cleveland Playhouse is extensive, well-organized, and
well-lit, making it easy to search. Both Fickling and Johnson assisted me in hanging
pieces together and taking notes, which made the process smooth and efficient. I
primarily looked for women’s clothing since Costume Rentals at the Guthrie Theatre was
able to provide only menswear; however I did look through their men’s stock as well to
allow for further options in case the rental pieces coming from the Guthrie were not
viable. The female characters I focused on were Fanny and Mary, but I did find some
great options for Mrs. Kelly as well that would not require much alteration or additions at
all. In my searching, I had been unable to find a dress that would be similar enough to
my design for Mary’s Act Three dress, and that was my foremost goal in looking through
the stock at Cleveland Playhouse. I did not find any options, but I was able to choose
three dresses that all had potential for Fanny’s Act Two dress, which would save time and
money to alter the dress I had planned to use from our own stock. We ultimately left
with dresses for Fanny and Mrs. Kelly, vests for Coleridge, Dyer, and Hazlitt, an
overcoat for Hazlitt, a robe for Charles, a coat and breeches for Dyer, and several period-
42
appropriate corsets for the women. All of these items were also fitted in the following
week along with the rental items from Costume Rentals. Overall this was an enjoyable
experience, and it was great to see what other theatres in Ohio are doing and make
connections with other costume technicians.
In addition to rentals, I also needed to supplement existing clothing with
purchased items; this was an excellent way to customize more items to what I had
designed as well as add to our stock without the stress of building every costume piece.
Turk suggested a few online options, one of them being Etsy. Etsy is an online
marketplace that allows individual vendors to sell handmade or vintage items. Having
purchased through Etsy several times previously, I was comfortable doing so also
knowing that they do not charge tax, since OSU is an educational institution that requires
all purchases to be tax exempt. Through many Etsy vendors functioning as costume
makers, I located sources for several of the dresses needed for the production; the biggest
challenge I faced was choosing which vendor I should use for which costume item. I also
encountered the problem of manufacturing time frames fitting within our production
schedule. Several costume makers need up to eight weeks to complete a build depending
on their order schedule, which did not fit well with our needs. My final decisions were
made for various reasons. One vendor, Historical Designs, was able to produce a
readymade vest for Dyer, a readymade dress for Emma and a custom order dress for
Emma, which meant most of Emma’s costume pieces being taken care of by one vendor.
A second vendor I used, The Modest Maiden, allowed me to choose fabric for Becky’s
dress in order to make the dress as close to my design as possible. Charlene, the owner of
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The Modest Maiden, was communicative and extremely helpful, taking my research and
applying it to the order, offering to make a fichu to coordinate with it as well. For Mary’s
Act Two dress, I found a vendor, It’s Not Pajamas, who had a dress similar to what I had
designed, but there were enough differences that I contacted Jennifer Spaulding, the
owner, to see if further customization was a possibility. She was more than willing to
add further customization in lengthening the three-quarter sleeves to full length,
removing a ruffle, and giving me further options for fabric to more closely match the
color of my rendering. In doing this, she was able to supply a fabric that was
exceptionally similar to my design, so once it arrived all we would have to do would be
to add trim. The fourth vendor I used on Etsy, Heritage Dressmakers, was one that I
found while finishing my designs and actually based the design for Fanny’s Act Two
dress on this dress from their inventory. Unlike some of the other dresses I purchased,
this one was merely a base, which would need added trim and other accessories.
Between these purchases, the rental items, and our own stock, I had covered almost every
major costume piece, which was due in the costume studio by February 22, 2016. The
exception to this, however, was still Mary’s Act Three dress.
I began sourcing accessories, such as hats, and shoes early in February, yet these
purchases were not made until after fittings had occurred, more concrete rental choices
had been made, and fabrics had been chosen. Every male character in the cast, except
Charles, needed a hat because they all enter from outside, and unlike the women, wear
their outerwear into the drawing room area, which is the main playing space on the stage.
Through extensive online searching, I sourced hats for all four men through a variety of
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online stores. The majority of the hats that were required could be purchased from
Gentleman’s Emporium. I had previously purchased fall front trousers from this
company and was happy with the products, so I was willing to make another purchase
from them. The one hat I had difficulty finding was a bicorn for Dyer. Most options I
found would work well for a Halloween costume but were not high enough quality for a
theatrical production. Through further searching, I was able to locate a few sources with
decent quality hats that could be tweaked to fit more to my needs for the character of
Dyer. Fortunately I was able to pull shoe options for every character except Fanny.
Luckily I was able to find several options for shoes for her, all of which were lace-up
ballet flats. Through my research, I discovered that women primarily wore flat shoes,
and during the time in which the play takes place pointed toes and laces were popular.
Fortunately, this is a style that is currently popular; however, I ran into quite a few
problems in actually purchasing a pair. I had several options: Charlotte Russe, Macy’s,
and Zappos, all of which had issues with tax exempt purchases. Through trips to the
store, phone calls, and online chats, my best option came by the way of Amazon, with
whom we already have a tax exempt account. The shoes I found through Amazon were
not my first choice but became my best choice.
Choosing fabric for this production is probably the easiest process I have
experienced in my costume design career thus far. At the end of the autumn semester, the
costume studio received several fabric donations, which needed to be organized and
added to our stock, and through this task, I fell in love with one fabric in particular. It is
a beautiful pale, creamy yellow linen blend with warm purple flowers and a design
45
reminiscent of Chinese motifs; this fabric also has excellent soft drape that would lend
itself well to the styles of the Regency era. Stokes mentioned the use of Chinese
inspirations, and this fabric was an inspiration for Fanny’s color palette and partially her
design as well. Because there was a little less than three yards of this fabric, my initial
plan was to make a spencer jacket (see Figure 8), which then presented the challenge of
finding three dresses that would all coordinate with that fabric.
Figure 8. Green silk self-striped spencer: 19th century from the Museum of London
However, since a spencer was taken off the build list, I was determined to find another
use for this textile. As I completed painting my renderings, I was inspired by this fabric
yet again and discovered a perfect use within this production – the underskirt for Fanny’s
Act Three dress, which was being built. To coordinate with this dress, I designed a
purple bodice and overskirt for the main body of the dress that would coordinate nicely to
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the purple flowers and a green trim to pick up on the green leaves. My first fabric
shopping trip was to purchase fabric for the three men’s shirts being built, which were for
Charles, Dyer, and Hazlitt. While at two different Jo-Ann Fabrics stores, I also perused
the selection of fabrics for Fanny’s and Mary’s dresses. While unsuccessful in choosing
a fabric for Mary, I did find a couple of options for Fanny’s dress. I focused mostly on
different shades of purple textiles and found one fabric that I thought could work but was
not my first option. While searching, I came across a green floral that would look
beautiful with the yellow floral I had already chosen. I purchased both fabrics because I
had been set on using a purple but knew that the green floral would coordinate well and
look more period accurate. The green was chosen, and a gold trim that coordinated with
the fabric for the underskirt was used instead.
My second round of fabric shopping came during the week of February 14, 2016.
All of my fabric needed to be in the costume studio by the following Monday, so I had to
make some decisions for Mary’s Act One costume. While I did not find any options in
the couple Jo-Ann Fabrics locations I had previously visited, I went back out with fresh
eyes to a different location. I found a fabric for the dress and over dress that coordinated
extremely well together, even though neither was exactly what I had been looking for
previously; they were, however, the weights of fabric I needed for both pieces. The
brocade chosen for the overdress was very reminiscent of Chinese and eastern designs,
tying back again to Stokes’ concept.
While reorganizing our fabric stock, I was made further aware of the wonderful
fabrics we already had. I chose a plaid fabric for one of Charles’ vests from the donation
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we received and found a beautiful brocade in our stock, both of which fit well within his
green and brown color scheme. For his tailcoat, I was also able to choose a lovely forest
green wool from our wide-ranging stock of wools, and we also had linings in stock as
well. The only purchase I had to make for Charles’ builds was vest lining and buttons, all
of which I was easily able to find at Jo-Ann Fabrics.
Costume construction began the week of February 7, 2016, first with the men’s
shirts. We did not plan on making mock-ups but rather start with the actual shirt and
make alterations as necessary. The construction of all three shirts continued into the
following week, and the shirts were ready to fit by the end of the week. Construction
began on mock-ups for Mary’s dress and Fanny’s dress the week of February 14 with the
goal of mock-up fittings the following week. Builds for this production were assigned
slightly differently than other productions that go through our costume studio in that I, as
the designer, was also assigned two builds. This is unusual, but because of the light work
load for the previous two productions during the spring semester it was more feasible. I
built Hazlitt’s shirt because all three graduate students were assigned a shirt, and I built
Charles’ tailcoat because I requested a tailoring project to gain more knowledge and
experience in that area of construction. After getting Hazlitt’s shirt ready to fit, I began
work on Charles’ coat, which started with tracing the commercial sewing pattern I
purchased from Laughing Moon Mercantile, a company that specializes in historical
sewing patterns. Even this early in the process, I discovered the difficulties of being a
designer who is also building for the production. I expected tracing to take a longer
amount of time due to the large number of detailed and complicated pattern pieces, but I
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did not realize just how long it might take. Because I had two fittings that week, I also
had a certain amount of things to coordinate before and after each fitting to make sure
progress continued and work flowed smoothly, which included preparing projects for
other graduate students to work on and pulling each necessary costume item for each
fitting. I also worked with our practicum students on projects that came out of the fittings
such as labeling and changing buttons. Since mock-ups were also started this week, there
was a certain amount of communication that had to occur between the drapers and
stitchers and me. All of these things pulled me away from my own construction project
and limited the amount of time I had to focus on moving forward. The other builds,
however, moved forward at a good pace and stayed on schedule according to our
calendar and fittings.
Fittings began the week of February 14, 2016, a week ahead of our original
schedule. In that week, we fit the actors playing Emma and Hazlitt. Both fittings went
well, and we were able to move forward, looking to do minor alterations for both actors.
The week of February 21, 2016 was heavily scheduled with fittings because we were
under certain time restraints to return unused rental items as to not be charged for them
and also needed to be able to fit mock-ups and move forward on builds. Seven out of the
ten actors were scheduled for fittings, most of them an hour long because the amount of
pieces we needed to fit.
While it was a busy week, every fitting ran smoothly, most finishing ahead of
schedule. The schedule began with several of the male actors playing Coleridge, Dyer,
and De Quincey, all of whom had rental pieces to be fit. I received five options of vests
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for the actor playing Coleridge all being in various stages of wornness. Having
previously fit a tailcoat, a shirt, and a pair of pants on this actor, the focus of the fitting
was finding two to three vest options as well a pair of shoes that would fit and display the
character well. All five vests were rentals, two being from Costume Rentals at the
Guthrie Theatre and three being from Cleveland Playhouse. Because all of the vests fit
Lara acceptably well, the decision of which vests to use came down to which colors
would work best and fit my design. The first decision was easiest because the Guthrie
included a dark purple vest patterned with elephants. I knew that this would be the
perfect choice to put Lara in for Act One because his character quotes his newly written
poem, “Kubla Khan,” which refers to the Oriental themes mentioned in the director’s
concept. While the elephant pattern might not be visible to all audience members, the
overall pattern is organic and lends itself to Coleridge’s ever-changing nature. Stokes
agreed with this choice of this vest as well as a second vest in a lighter tone with added
sheen. This second vest was the first choice for Act Two because the distressing
necessary for the character would be more visible on a lighter-toned fabric. The actor
playing Dyer was also fit that same day. Because he is a larger man, I was unable to pull
any pieces from our stock for his costume, so I rented options from both Costume Rentals
at the Guthrie Theatre and Cleveland Playhouse. My initial plan was to use a dark brown
tailcoat and breeches from Costume Rentals and had only pulled options from Cleveland
Playhouse as backups. However, through the fitting process, I discovered that all of the
rental items from Costume Rentals, which included the tailcoat, breeches, and a vest,
were not feasible due to fit and condition, and I decided to use a tailcoat, breeches, and
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vest from Cleveland Playhouse and a vest from our stock in addition to the vest I
purchased. Stokes also visited the costume studio after fittings were finished to discuss
the options each actor had tried on and to see other options in person.
The following day we continued fittings with the actors playing De Quincey and
Fanny. The actor playing De Quincey had very few items to try on because his character
only has one costume for both acts he appears in, and these pieces were pulled from our
stock and rented from Costume Rentals. He is smaller in stature, making it difficult to
find clothing to fit. Fortunately, the coat and vest rented from Costume Rentals fit well
and coordinated with the shirt and pants I pulled from our stock. The fitting for the
actress playing Fanny ran equally as smoothly, with three rental dresses as Act Two
options, a mockup for her Act Three dress, and a wig. My first option for Act Two was
the best fitting and my top choice; however, it did require a certain amount of alterations
at the side seams to take in the bust. The mockup fit exceptionally, with only minor
adjustments needed to the style lines. The wig also fit and worked well with the hairstyle
I designed therefore merely needed to be styled.
The remainder of fittings for the week continued to run smoothly and quickly.
The schedule finished with the actresses playing Mary and Mrs. Kelly, on Thursday,
February 25 and the actor playing Charles, on Friday, February 26. The fitting for the
actress playing Mary was originally scheduled as a mockup fitting for her Act One dress
and overdress. However it was scheduled at a time that Graduate Teaching Associate
Sierra Johnson, who was draping and building the costume, was unavailable. Rather than
cancel the fitting, we fit undergarments and wigs and scheduled a fitting for the following
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week to fit her mockup. I pulled three wig options, one made of human hair and two that
were synthetic. My first choice was the one made of human hair because it was naturally
curly and would be a nice, classic look for Mary, and this wig also happened to be the
best fit and style for the actress. While we had a costume option for the actress playing
Mrs. Kelly that I pulled from our stock, I had also rented a couple options from Cleveland
Playhouse that were close in style to what I envisioned and would require fewer
alterations and additions of trim. A floor-length green jacket accompanied the first
option, a long sleeve dress made of embroidered rust-colored fabric, with jeweled
brooches ornamented both. I pulled a deep red turban from our stock to coordinate with
Mrs. Kelly’s costume, which she tried on with both dresses. The second dress, made of
gold sari border print fabric, also coordinated with the green jacket and turban, and the
actress felt more comfortable in this dress because it was more lightweight and allowed
for more movement. I believed both dresses were viable options and waited to receive
feedback from Stokes. The last fitting of the week was for purchased trousers, a built
shirt, and a tailcoat mockup for Charles. This fitting was a nice end to a busy week of
fittings. Very few alterations needed to be made to any of the items, and the builds
proceeded after this fitting. With Kearney in the fitting as well, we decided that it would
be best to go up a size in the pattern for this tailcoat in order to accommodate for space
taken up when the actual coat would be made out of wool and have padding and lining
instead of being merely a muslin mockup. This would give the actor more moving and
breathing room. Slight alterations to make adjustments in length were also required.
While a mockup for the coat was ready for the fitting, neither built vest had been started
52
yet, so I borrowed a rental vest for fitting purposes that was an option intended for
Hazlitt. However, the vest fit the actor playing Charles so well and worked within his
color scheme, that I made the decision to use that in Act One and only his Act Two vest
would be built.
Another change was made to the build list during this week as well. As
previously mentioned, I had been unable to procure a dress for Act Three for Mary.
When work was resumed on Monday after the weekend, Kearney and Turk made the
decision to build this dress as well. Since Johnson was already building a dress for Mary,
the proposal was to adapt the pattern created, making less work in the long run.
However, this meant making a fabric decision quickly and then making a purchase that
same night. Opportunely, I had just purchased the rest of the fabric required the day
before and still had enough money on that purchase request to purchase fabric and
notions needed to build the Act Three dress. It was decided that since Johnson was
building a dress and overdress for Mary that Graduate Teaching Associate Sarah Fickling
would build the second dress based on Johnson’s pattern.
Because of the hectic fitting schedule, I was only able to find pockets of time to
progress on the tailcoat mockup I had started for Meyer. Since it was only a mockup,
only the shell of the coat was required, which made cutting and sewing much quicker.
While the pattern I chose was thorough and extensive, I discovered that the directions
included were not always as clear and concise as needed, which in some cases held me up
in the process. Because I had never made any kind of men’s coat prior to this, there was
a bit of trial and error in the process as well as examining similar regency tailcoats from
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our stock. Moving forward after the fitting, I needed to alter the pattern to provide better
fit of the tailcoat on the actor. All of these alterations were minor but took time, which
was also added to finishing a shirt I was building for the actor playing Hazlitt. A second
fitting for the actor playing Charles was scheduled for the Friday, March 4, and Kearney
and I made the decision to move forward in fashion fabric, the cashmere wool that the
actual costume piece would be made of, rather than constructing another muslin mockup.
By the middle of the week, I had mostly finished shirt for Hazlitt, but I had not made as
much progress on the tailcoat for Charles as was necessary. I had altered the pattern but
still needed to cut it out and assemble it the next day. This fitting was moved to
following week and went incredibly smoothly, allowing me to move forward in finishing
the coat in the remaining weeks before dress rehearsals began.
While the previous week was filled with fittings with most of the actors, the week
of February 29 had very few fittings. We began mockup fitting for Mary’s Act One dress
and overdress on Monday. This mockup did not fit as well as desired, but overall both
the dress and overdress flattered the actress and had the styles lines and designs that
Johnson and I had previously discussed. Because this actress carries a little more weight
in her upper body, the sleeves of the dress did not fit properly, and it was decided that it
would be best to do another mockup of the sleeves while proceeding with fashion fabric
for the body of the dress and overdress. The actor playing Hazlitt was scheduled for a
second fitting in order to fit rental options because unused items needed to be returned at
the beginning of the following week. His trousers and a vest had been altered, and I had
rented a tailcoat and overcoat from Costume Rentals and a vest and overcoat from
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Cleveland Playhouse. The vest from our stock that had been altered, which was to be
used in Act Two, was no longer an option because it was now too short. I had two other
vest options, one from our stock and one from Cleveland Playhouse, and while I had only
planned on using one, I had now hoped that they would both work. Fortunately, they
both fit, and I pulled cravats to coordinate with both. The other rental items where a bit
more challenging. The mint green overcoat from Cleveland Playhouse that was my first
choice for Erickson was much too large for him, so I was given no choice but to use to
black overcoat from Costume Rentals. I had not wanted to use much black at all in this
production, but sometimes it becomes necessary to make concessions. I had also hoped
to use a dark navy tailcoat from Costume Rentals because it was closest to what I had
rendered for the character of Hazlitt; however, it was too small. I reverted to the back-up
tailcoat I had pulled from our stock, which fit this actor well but did need some work to
make it look more pristine.
While all of my main costume purchases were made a couple weeks prior, all
accessories and wigs were due by March 4. During this week, I pushed to make final
decisions and purchases earlier rather than later. A few weeks prior I sourced hats for all
of the men and was able to purchase most of them from Gentleman’s Emporium, where I
had purchased the fall-front trousers, and I also purchased eyeglasses for Dyer, Mary, and
Charles from this same company. Turk helped me source the bicorn for Dyer, which
came from a company titled Hatcrafters, who hand makes most of their hats for each
order. These hats, as well as previously altered costumes pieces, were fit the week after
spring break.
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In the week following spring break, final fittings were scheduled for most of the
actors, with the remainder being scheduled for the following week. In these fittings, the
actors tried on any pieces that were altered to assess fit as well as any accessories that I
had pulled or purchased to coordinate with each costumes, such as cravats, hats, jewelry,
watches, and glasses; the goal was to see final looks for each character.
As previously mentioned, I had ordered a dress through Etsy for the actress
playing Mary that was scheduled to arrive at the end of February. However, through
mishaps such as issues with fabric and lost packages, I did not receive it until March 14.
This dress and Mary’s other two dresses were fit, all of which were moving toward being
finished. Even though this dress from Etsy was made according to the actress’s
measurements, it did not fit quite right, causing alterations to be made to the shape of the
skirt in order to be more flattering. While this alteration was achievable, the dress became
too short, and I had to devise a plan to accommodate for this unexpected alteration.
Through conversations with Turk, it was decided that I would purchase fabric that would
closely match so that an extension to the hem could be added. When shopping for fabric
at Jo-Ann Fabrics, I located the exact fabric used to construct this dress, making an
extension much more seamless than previously anticipated.
Other unexpected problems arose with the other custom dresses I had ordered
from other vendors on Etsy. As I mentioned, I purchased custom dresses for the actresses
playing Emma and Becky. When fitting the dress on the actress playing Emma, I
discovered that this custom dress was much too small through the back of the bodice,
causing limited mobility. This was unfortunate since the dress was made according to
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her measurements, but luckily, I had already planned to hem the dress from its full length
to a mid-calf length, giving the costume studio ample fabric to add extension panels for a
better fit. The dress ordered for the actress playing Becky also contained a certain
amount of surprises. I also received this dress much later than anticipated, causing her
fitting to be moved to the following week. When the dress did arrive, the color was not
what I had expected. When choosing the fabric through looking at pictures on a
computer screen, I thought I was picking a cotton fabric with cornflower blue and rust
stripes; however, the fabric was much different than what I had seen on my screen and
was actually a light blue and light pink. While a lovely color combination, it did not fit
for what I had envisioned for the character or the dramatic nature of the play. Turk was
able to dye the dress slightly in order to tone down these brighter colors, giving a look
much closer to what I had rendered. So while these dresses all brought their own issues,
through the work of the costume studio, each dress was made to work much better with
my design for the production.
In the week leading up to the first dress rehearsal on April 6, I had several
projects that I needed to complete in order to make sure each actor had each costume
piece necessary and that each costume piece was as complete as possible. While there
was still a week in between first dress and the first performance of the production, I
travelled to Brooklyn with the Department of Theatre immediately following the first
dress rehearsal, leaving me no time to complete any other projects over that weekend. I
strove to make each detail was in order and that all costumes were as complete as
possible. One of those projects included painting the fabric of Mary’s Act One dress. As
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mentioned previously, I chose to place a Greek wave motif as a border on the hem of
Mary’s Act One dress. Through searching through trims to adhere as well as
conversations with Kearney and Turk, we came to the decision that painting the pattern
would be the best option to keep the integrity of the dress intact. The fabric that I chose
was a very light weight fabric that draped nicely, and no matter how light weight a trim
that I could have chosen, sewing it in a curved pattern would weigh the dress down and
alter the silhouette as well. I did several paint tests for color, scale, and technique before
applying any paint to the actual dress. Once I was happy with my results, I began the
process of painting the wave pattern on the dress and completed it within about seven
hours, including time for preparation and drying. In addition to adding paint to this dress,
I still was in the process of completely the tailcoat for Charles. The actor playing Charles
was brought in for a final fitting the week prior to the first dress rehearsal, and all that
remained was many finishing details. Much of this required precise hand sewing, which
took more time, but I made good progress in the week of dress rehearsal, putting me on
schedule to finish by April 6.
Students and staff in the costume studio were primarily focused on putting the
finishing touches on the overall production during the week leading up to first dress
rehearsal. Conducting a first dress rehearsal in the middle of the week was unusual and
also shortened the time in which to finish and add details to the costumes. Because the
staff in the costume studio as well the practicum students were all producing focused and
efficient work, this shortened time frame did not cause any issues. First dress rehearsal
ran incredibly smoothly, with few alterations or additions to be made moving forward.
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Moving forward with dress rehearsals proved slightly challenging; however, I was
pleased with the outcome. As mentioned previously, the department scheduled a trip to
Brooklyn to attend the Royal Shakespeare Company’s productions of Richard II, Henry
IV Parts I and II, and Henry V. This trip followed immediately the first dress rehearsal,
and many of the cast, crew, and production team members, including myself, attending
this trip. I felt confident in leaving after first dress rehearsal that any of the notes
generated from that rehearsal could easily be accomplished upon my return on April 11.
However, I did run into a small problem when Stokes emailed me the following day
raising concerns, primarily with the wig chosen for the actress playing Mary. Stokes was
concerned that Mary’s wig, both style and color, was unattractive in comparison to
Fanny’s wig. Through communication in emails with Stokes, Kearney, Turk, and myself,
a new wig was able to be chosen and styled, making it ready to be worn for the second
dress rehearsal. Other small alterations were made in my absence, so when I returned I
was able to focus on notes that I specifically as the designer needed to address.
The remaining dress rehearsals brought only minor hiccups. The biggest changes
occurred with the makeup applications for certain characters and the shawl worn by the
actress playing Mary. Because the Thurber Theatre is a large theatre space, the actors
with more specialized makeup had to apply their makeup much heavier than many of
them were accustomed to doing. It was not until the final dress rehearsal that the makeup
for these actors was finally visible from the house. Aside from the makeup, the shawl
worn by the actress playing Mary caused a multitude of problems. This actress had
difficulties wearing a shawl on stage, so three options were tried before finding the one
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that worked best for everyone. Because she continually dropped the shawl, elastic bands
to be worn around the arms were stitched to the shawl in order to keep it on the actress’s
body. This alteration did not prove successful because the actress did not make a
conscious effort to keep the shawl wrapped around her body. The second option was to
have the actress wear the shawl around her shoulders and attach it in the front; this gave
her a range of motion without any concern for the shawl falling. However, the shawl did
fall off the actress’s shoulders, and she had difficulty pulling it back up gracefully. The
last alteration was to add snaps to the shawl and the shoulders of both dresses with which
she wore the shawl. This proved to be successful, and while this was not my first option,
I was able to still use the shawl as a part of the costume design and the actress was able to
wear it without further issues.
Other than these smaller issues, dress rehearsals ran smoothly, and only minor
alterations were made. The production previewed to the department students, staff, and
faculty on April 13, and public performances began on April 14.
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Chapter 5: An Evaluation of the Design
Working on this production of The Coast of Illyria as my thesis project has been
both a delight and a challenge. I greatly appreciate being able to combine my love of
English literature and theatrical costume design in this culmination of my MFA degree at
The Ohio State University. While it might be difficult at the moment to step back from
the process itself since the production is just now opening, these are my thoughts as of
now.
Writing a thesis document to supplement to the costume design of a production
while concurrently designing said production was most definitely the toughest portion of
this entire process. Finding a balance between designing and writing was difficult, and
then finding a balance between those and class work added another challenge. Having
deadlines for all three areas that were often close together gave me challenges in time
management. I also found that it at times it was difficult to give full focus to every aspect
of the design, my writing, and class projects, and I often felt behind in one or more of the
areas. While this situation was not ideal, I would say that writing about the process while
in the process made for a much richer, more developed chapter IV because I was able to
describe events and situations that happened as they were happening rather than having to
look back to notes from several months prior for this information.
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Looking back to the design process from the beginning, there are a few things I
wish had spent more time on or had done differently. The first would be starting my
research much earlier in the development of the design. I was first assigned to design
costumes for The Coast of Illyria in December of 2014, and production meetings did not
begin until October 2015. I could have better utilized this time in the interim to complete
in-depth research into the play and its characters as to have been much more fully
prepared early on, which would have freed up more time to focus on designing and
writing. Ultimately, I feel like I have a good grasp on these characters and the world they
live in, but I could have made the process easier on myself if I had completed research
before beginning production meetings. Secondly, I also could have spent more time
further researching women’s clothing styles in particular. While I am pleased with the
outcome of the costumes for Mary and Fanny specifically, I found many other appealing
styles of dresses after completing my final designs that I might have preferred to styles I
chose. The third thing I could have improved upon was communication in all areas.
Although communication was continually happening throughout the process, I could
have been stronger in the ways I communicated with the members of the costume studio
as well as the production team. In a couple fittings, a lack of communication seemed to
cause minor problems with the fit of certain constructed costumes. Many questions were
raised in the fittings concerning style lines and fit of the garments that could have been
answered prior to the fittings; however, I was not aware that these were questions that
needed to be answered. Part of that could be on the drapers not asking me questions
when they had them, but I could have also been more proactive in checking in with the
62
drapers more consistently to clear up any confusion. I could have also been more
communicative with the Etsy sellers who made custom dresses for the production. While
I did converse with all of them heavily when placing orders, after receiving deadlines
from them, I trusted that those items would arrive as ordered on the assigned dates.
Although each dress from the different sellers I worked with did arrive within the
required time frame, each of these dresses was a cause of stress in my process for one
reason or another. Understanding better now how to work with these sellers making
custom clothing will help in my use of Etsy sellers for future productions. Lastly, my
communication could have been stronger in regards to the use of rehearsal costume items
during the rehearsal process. Because I provided many items early on, I assumed that
they would be introduced in the earlier rehearsals so that the actors could grow
accustomed to using certain items such as hats, coats, and shawls. However, I should
have made a stronger emphasis on the need for the actors to work with these items before
getting to dress rehearsals because I did run into some challenges once the actors were in
full costume. While the men were all adept at adjusting to using hats and coats
immediately, the actress playing Mary had difficulties using a shawl while on stage, and I
think that could have been resolved if she had rehearsed with one from the beginning.
Despite the fact that these challenges arose and I could have dealt with each of them
differently, none of them affected the production detrimentally.
Overall, I am extremely pleased with the outcome of the costume design of The
Coast of Illyria. I could not have asked for a better production team to work with, and
everyone in the costume studio went above and beyond to make every single costume
63
look exactly as I designed it. This process has been rewarding in a number of ways. I
feel as though I have grown as a designer, and I have also increased my knowledge of
styles and construction methods used during the Regency time period. I have a better
understanding of how well I can multi-task when given multiple projects simultaneously
and how I can better give the proper focus to each. Looking at the overall stage picture
itself is rewarding as well. I adhered closely to my color palette abstracted from the
inspiration painting by John Martin, and these colors work well within the world of the
play. Communication was strong between the other designers and myself, giving no
surprises when all the design elements came together in the first dress rehearsal. We all
worked well together and all had a clear understanding of the world of The Coast of
Illyria, presenting a cohesive, very lovely production.
64
References
Aaron, J. (n.d.) Mary Lamb (1764-1847). Retrieved from http://www.charleslambsociety.com/c&m2.html
Biography.com Editors. (n.d.) Dorothy Parker biography. Retrieved from http://www.biography.com/people/dorothy-parker-9433450#profile
Courtney, W. F. (n.d.). Charles Lamb. Retrieved from http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/charles-lamb
Kinney, A.F. (1990). Introduction. In D. Parker & R. Evans, The Coast of Illyria (pp.1-73). Iowa City: University of Iowa Press.
Mary Lamb. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/mary-lamb
Parker, D., & Evans, R. (2016). The coast of Illyria (J. Schlueter & C. Bellomy, adapters). Columbus, OH: The Ohio State University.
Poet: Samuel Taylor Coleridge. (n.d.) Retrieved from https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poet/samuel-taylor-coleridge
Samuel Taylor Coleridge. (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/samuel-taylor-coleridge
Stokes, S. (2015). Director’s concept for The Coast of Illyria. The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH.
Wu, D. (n.d.). Charles Lamb (1775-1834). Retrieved from http://www.charleslambsociety.com/c&m.html
65
Appendix A: Director’s Concept
66
Figure 9. Director's Concept for The Coast of Illyria p. 1
67
Figure 10. Director's Concept for The Coast of Illyria p. 2
68
Figure 11. Director's Concept for The Coast of Illyria p. 3
69
Figure 12. Director's Concept for The Coast of Illyria p. 4
70
Figure 13. Director's Concept for The Coast of Illyria p. 5
71
Appendix B: Costume Plot
72
THE COAST OF ILLYRIA The Ohio State University
by Dorothy Parker and Ross Evans Spring 2016adapted by Jennifer Schlueter and Cece BellomySetting: London, England Director: Shilarna StokesTime: early autumn, 1813 Costume Designer: Rebekah Priebe
A. PRINCIPAL MEN:
1. Charles Lamb I – shirt, vest, trousers, shoes, socks Act One2. Charles Lamb II – tailcoat, shirt, vest, cravat, trousers Act Two3. Charles Lamb III – remove jacket and cravat, add banyan Act Three4. Coleridge I –tailcoat, shirt, vest, cravat, trousers, shoes, socks, hat, overcoat Act One5. Coleridge II – vest, cravat Act Two6. Coleridge III – vest, cravat Act Three
B. SECONDARY MEN:
7. Dyer I – tailcoat, shirt, vest, cravat, breeches, stockings, shoes Act One8. Dyer II – vest, cravat, shawl, hat, one shoe? Act Two9. Dyer III – vest, cravat Act Three10. Hazlitt I – tailcoat, shirt, vest, cravat, trousers, boots, socks, hat, overcoat Act Two11. Hazlitt II – vest, cravat Act Three12. De Quincey I – tailcoat, vest, shirt, trousers, shoes, socks, hat Act Two-Three
C. PRINCIPAL WOMEN:
13. Fanny I –dress, shoes, tights, petticoat, corset, jewelry Act One14. Fanny II –dress, jewelry Act Two15. Fanny III –dress, jewelry Act Three16. Mary I – dress, overdress, shawl, shoes, tights, petticoat, jewelry, bonnet Act One17. Mary III – dress, jewelry Act Two18. Mary IV – dress, jewelry Act Three
D. SECONDARY WOMEN:
19. Becky I – dress, apron, cap, tights, petticoat, corset, shoes, jewelry Act One-Three20. Emma I – dress, pantaloons, tights, shoes, jewelry Act One21. Emma II – dress Act Two22. Emma III – dress Act Three23. Mrs. Kelly I – dress, jacket, tights, petticoat, corset, shoes, jewelry Act Two
Figure 14. Costume Plot
73
Appendix C: Costume Budget Estimates
74
Title: The Coast of Illyria
Allotted: $4,140.00
= = = = = = =Character Act Costume
PieceSource Notes AMOUNT
BALANCE Labor
= = = = = = =$4,140.00
Charles Lamb
all shirt build $ 29.96
One pants purchase $ 125.60 all socks pull $ 8.00 all shoes $ 50.00 all jacket build $ 75.00 One vest build $ 20.00 One cravatTwo-Three
vest build $ 20.00
Two-Three
pants purchase $ 125.60
banyan????? $ 250.00 Two-Three
cravat
Coleridge all jacket pull $ -all shirt pull $ -all pants pull $ -all socks pull $ 8.00 all shoes $ 50.00 all overcoat rental $ 50.00 all hat pull/buy $ 80.00 One, Three
vest rental $ 15.00
One, three
cravat
Two vest rental $ 15.00 Two cravat
Dyer all jacket rental $ 50.00 all breeches rental $ 25.00
75
all shirt build $ 33.16 all tights purchase $ 30.00
all shoes $ 50.00 all glasses $ 35.00 One vest pull it's an option $ -One cravatTwo vest buy etsy $ 84.00 Two cravatTwo shawl pull $ -
Three cravathat $ 75.00
Hazlitt all shirt build $ 38.36 all jacket rental $ 50.00 all socks $ 8.00 all boots pull $ 100.00 all pants $ 125.60 Two vest pull/buy $ 160.00 Two cravatThree vest pull/buy $ 160.00 Three cravat
hat $ 80.00 overcoat
De Quincey
all shirt pull $ -
all jacket rental $ 50.00 all pants pull $ -all socks $ 8.00 all shoes $ 50.00 all vest rental $ 15.00
hat $ 80.00 Fanny Kelly
all tights $ 10.00
all shoes $ 70.00 One dress purchase etsy, Joann $ 128.38 One jewelryOne reticuleTwo dress pull TRIM/ALTER
!$ 50.00
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Two jewelry
Three dress build Chelsea/RT $ 76.40 Three jewelry
wig $ 75.00 Mary Lamb
all shawl
all tights $ 10.00 all shoes $ 40.00 One dress build $ 75.00 One bonnet $ 80.00 One gloves pullOne jewelry pullOne overgown build $ 75.00 Two dress purchase etsy $ 188.00
Two jewelry pull
Two fichu purchase etsy $ 20.00
Three dress rental $ 50.00
Three jewelry
wig $ 75.00
Becky all dress purchase etsy $ 127.00
all apron pull
all tights $ 10.00
all shoes pull/buy $ 40.00
all jewelry
all cap pull $ -
fichu pull $ -
Emma all tights purchase $ 10.00
all shoes $ -
all pantaloons pull $ -
all apron pull $ -
One dress $ 124.00
One jewelry
Two dress $ 124.00
Two jewelry
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Three dress maybe doesn't need
Three jewelry
Mrs. Kelly
Two reticule
Two dress pull ALTER!
Two jewelry
Two tights pull $10
Two shoes pull $0
turban w/hair
build/craft $30
PATTERNS $ 107.44
-
Spent $ 3,834.50 0
Remaining $ 305.50
78
Appendix D: Research and Preliminary Sketches
79
A
B
C
Figure 15. Research for Charles: A Allan Melville by John Rubens Smith, B Men's Fashion Plate from Costume Parisien 1812, C Portrait of Charles Lamb from The Charles Lamb Society
80
Figure 16. Charles Preliminary Design
81
B
A
C D
Figure 17. Research for Mary: A Woman's Dress c. 1805-1810 from Philadelphia Museum of Art, B A Woman with Two Children Wearing Kashmir Paisley Shawls by Alfred Edward 1815-1820, C Maria Shaum by Jacob Eicholtz, D Morning Dress 1810-20 from the Metropolitan Muse
82
Figure 18. Mary Preliminary Design
83
A B
D
C
Figure 19. Research for Fanny: A Portrait of a lady wearing a Kashmir Shawl, B 1810 La Mode Illustree, C 1818 - Ackermann's Repository Series 2 Vol 6 - September Issue, D Portrait of Fanny Kelly
84
Figure 20. Fanny Preliminary Design
85
A B
C D
Figure 21. Research for Mrs. Kelly: A Portrait of a Lady by Louis-Leopold Boily, B Fashion Plate depicting Afternoon Dress for 1800 located at Scripps College, C Fashion Plate depicting Evening Dresses, 1810 located at Scripps College, D Portrait de Femme en Robe by Francois-Joseph Kinson
86
Figure 22. Mrs. Kelly Preliminary Design
87
A B
C
Figure 23. Research for Dyer: A Portrait of George Beau Brummel by Robert Dighton, B Man's Brown Velvet Coat 1811 at The Charleston Museum, C Henry Moyes by John Russell
88
Figure 24. Dyer Preliminary Design
89
A B
C
Figure 25. Research for Coleridge: A Men's Fashion Plate from Costume Parisien 1810, B Men's Fashion Plate from Costume Parisien 1819, C Portrait of Samuel Taylor Coleridge from The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
90
Figure 26. Coleridge Preliminary Design
91
A B
C D
Figure 27. Research for Becky: A Progress of the Toilet by James Gillray, B The early nineteenth-century maid by William Brocas, C Charlotte Corday by Francois-Seraphin Delpech, D Kinderfruhstuk by Albert Anker
92
Figure 28. Becky Preliminary Design
93
A B
C
Figure 29. Research for Emma: A Two Printed Cotton Infant Dresses, 1810 from Augusta Auctions, B Children's Fashion Plate from Journal des Dames et des Modes, 1813, C A Woman with Two Children wearing Kashmir Paisley Shawls by Alfred Edward 1815-1820
94
Figure 30. Emma Preliminary Design
95
A
B
C
Figure 31. Research for Hazlitt: A Portrait of Franz Shubert (1797-1828), Austrian Composer, Aged 17, circa 1814, B Men's Fashion Plate from Journal de Dames et des Mode 1811, C Self Portrait of William Hazlitt
96
Figure 32. Hazlitt Preliminary Design
97
A
B
C
Figure 33. Research for De Quincey: A Portrait of a Boy by Nicholas-Bernard Lepicie, B Fashion Plate from Costume Parisien 1813, C A Young Peasant Boy by Jean-Baptiste Greuze
98
Figure 34. De Quincey Preliminary Design
99
Appendix E: Final Renderings
100Figure 35. Charles Act One
101
Figure 36. Charles Acts Two-Three
102
Figure 37. Mary Act One
103
Figure 38. Mary Act Two
104Figure 39. Mary Act Three
105Figure 40. Fanny Act One
106Figure 41. Fanny Act Two
107Figure 42. Fanny Act Three
108Figure 43. Mrs. Kelly Act Two
109
Figure 44. Dyer Acts One-Three
110Figure 45. Coleridge Acts One-Three
111Figure 46. Becky Acts One-Three
112Figure 47. Emma Acts One-Three
113
Figure 48. Hazlitt Acts Two-Three
114Figure 49. De Quincey Acts Two-Three
115
Appendix F: Production Photos
116Figure 50. Production Photo - Charles and Fanny Act One
117Figure 51. Production Photo - Emma and Becky Act One
118
Figure 52. Production Photo - Dyer, Mary, and Emma Act One
119Figure 53. Production Photo - Charles and Mary Act One
120
Figure 54. Production Photo - Mary and Fanny Act Two
121
Figure 55. Production Photo - Charles, Mrs. Kelly, and Fanny Act Two
122
Figure 56. Production Photo - Charles, Coleridge, and Mary Act Two
123
Figure 57. Production Photo - Charles, De Quincey, Emma, Mrs. Kelly, Fanny, Mary, Coleridge, and Hazlitt Act Two
124Figure 58. Production Photo - Mary and Charles Act Three
125
Figure 59. Production Photo - Charles and Fanny Act Three